Ritchie Revving Up for the Islanders

Nine games into his NHL career and two games into his New York Islanders tenure, Cal Ritchie is learning as much as possible, absorbing feedback and implementing it into his game in real-time.

“I come off the ice every shift and get a little advice from [Head Coach Patrick] Roy, or [Assistant Coach] Ray Bennett or Jonathan Drouin or Kyle Palmieri,” Ritchie said. “It’s helpful for me, I just try to soak it in and try to learn as much as I can.”

The 20-year-old made his Isles debut in Friday’s 3-1 win over Washington, starting the game on the wing, but finished as a center on a line with Drouin and Palmieri. That trio also played together in Sunday’s 3-2 win against Columbus at UBS Arena. Ritchie recorded one shot on goal in 13:56 TOI on Sunday, but the qualities beyond the stat sheet - like his poise and hockey IQ - stood out.

Following a strong training camp, Ritchie sustained an injury in preseason and started the season in Bridgeport, but stayed ready for the right opportunity, which happened to be early in the year.

“He earned my trust during the preseason,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “It was hard to let him go to the minors. When the opportunity came to come back here, I was curious to see how he’d perform and he’s been playing extremely well.”

His line with Drouin and Palmieri hasn’t allowed a shot on goal at five-on-five and created four high danger chances, per Natural Stat Trick. Roy has always been a proponent of good veterans helping young players adjust to the pace of play in the NHL, so it’s no surprise that he likes the way Drouin and Palmieri are helping him along.

“Playing with Drouin and Palmieri, he’s going to learn a lot,” Roy said. “I feel like they’ll be great teachers for him, great mentors.”

Poise is a quality that stands out in Ritchie’s game. As Ritchie continues to develop his defensive game and strengthen his offense ability, Palmieri said the 20-year-old’s got a strong foundation.

“As a 20-year-old, to step in and play with that kind of poise is impressive,” Palmieri said. “For Drouin and I, we want to make sure he’s playing his game. There’s a reason he’s in this spot and the more we can talk to him and help him, it’ll make us more effective as a line.”

Though Sunday marked the first game the trio played as a line, there was a familiar component. Ritchie and Drouin played with the Colorado Avalanche last season, getting to know each other during Avs training camp and the beginning of last season. Drouin remembers Ritchie’s skill from last year and has watched his game grow, noticing the strides he has made in 12 months’ time. Between his seven-game stint with Colorado to start his NHL career, Ritchie put up a 70-point campaign for the Oshawa Generals and reported to Islanders training camp with a new gear to his game.

“His game is more mature,” Drouin said. “He had a good year in junior last year, a lot of stuff we talked about in Colorado when he got sent down, he worked on it and he’s more mature and responsible in some areas. He’s an offensive player, you want to let his skill shine.”

Drouin has been a mentor figure for Ritchie before their Islander days. Drouin made it a point to continue the relationship over the past year, especially when Ritchie was competing for Team Canada in the 2025 World Juniors tournament.

“He reached out to me a few times throughout the season,” Ritchie said. “In the World Juniors he checked in on me and made sure I was doing good,” Ritchie said. “He’s been great to me ever since I met him.”

Ritchie is also reunited with World Juniors teammate Matthew Schaefer, who were roommates during Rookie Camp and Training Camp have been lively in the Islanders locker room.

“Him and Schaefer feed off each other, you can see them giggling together all the time,” Palmieri said.

Ritchie had connections beyond his current teammates before joining the Islanders. Ritchie’s first training camp was his second under the guidance of Bennett, who ran the power play in Colorado last season.

“He’s great, he’s really helpful,” Ritchie said of Bennett. “I learned lots from him last year in camp. Even this year in camp, he’s giving lots of advice in all aspects of the game, offensively, defensively, power play, so he’s been really helpful.”

Now that he’s back at the NHL level, Ritchie is looking to build his first two games preceded by a strong training camp for the Isles.

“He had a really good training camp,” Bo Horvat said. “What stands out is his poise with the puck. He’s phenomenal on the power play, half wall too, he makes a lot of nifty plays that go unnoticed. He’s just going to keep getting better.”